tod evans
05-16-2014, 09:13 AM
Two stories from Drudge;
Report: DEA Chief Rips Obama's Pot Remarks
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/report-dea-chief-rips-obamas-pot-remarks_775420.html
The head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is now openly criticizing Barack Obama for his recent comments over the question of marijuana legalization, according to multiple reports.
The Boston Herald reports it has sources who heard DEA chief Michele Leonhart "slam" Obama at last week's National Sheriffs' Association winter meeting in Washington. The Herald reports the sheriffs in Bristol County, Massachusetts, and Kern County, California, both reported that Leonhart was critical of the president's claim that marijuana's affects are no different than alcohol's. Here's an excerpt:
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said he was thrilled to hear the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration take her boss to task.
“She’s frustrated for the same reasons we are,” Hodgson said. “She said she felt the administration didn’t understand the science enough to make those statements. She was particularly frustrated with the fact that, according to her, the White House participated in a softball game with a pro-legalization group. ... But she said her lowest point in 33 years in the DEA was when she learned they’d flown a hemp flag over the Capitol on July 4. The sheriffs were all shocked. This is the first time in 28 years I’ve ever heard anyone in her position be this candid.”
Kern County sheriff Donny Youngblood told the Herald Leonhart received a "standing ovation" from the law enforcement agents at the convention.
The Huffington Post also reported on Leonhart's alleged remarks, and received a statement from a DEA spokesperson.
Report: Holder Tells DEA Chief to Get in Line
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/report-holder-tells-dea-chief-get-line_792883.html
The head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration was called in to speak with Attorney General Eric Holder and told to get in line with the Obama administration's policy on lessening sentencing for drug offenders, according to a report from the Huffington Post.
DEA chief Michele Leonhart has taken public stands in recent months against the administration's rhetoric on marijuana legalization as well as efforts by the White House and the Justice Department to ease punshiments for those covicted of federal drug crimes. HuffPo's Ryan Reilly and Ryan Grim report that Leonhart was "called in" by Holder for a "one [on] one chat about her recent insubordination." Leonhart seems to have gotten the message. Here more from their story:
Leonhart was responding to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who asked about the importance of mandatory minimums. Some law enforcement groups oppose the Smarter Sentencing Act, a bipartisan bill that would roll back the length of certain mandatory minimum prison terms. Leonhart emphasized the importance of mandatory minimums, leaving the impression she opposed changes to the current sentencing structure, which gives federal prosecutors huge leverage over defendants.
Justice Department concerns about Leonhart were heightened when, after her testimony, a DEA spokeswoman would not say whether Leonhart endorsed changes mandatory minimums, telling The Huffington Post that the DEA administrator's testimony would "have to speak for itself."
The concerns led to a conversation between Holder and Leonhart, according to a person familiar with the discussion. Leonhart told her boss there had been a misunderstanding.
The DEA sent The Huffington Post a follow-up statement a week after the first, expressing Leonhart's public support for reforms made by Holder that rolled back the deployment of harsh mandatory minimum sentences against certain drug offenders.
Report: DEA Chief Rips Obama's Pot Remarks
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/report-dea-chief-rips-obamas-pot-remarks_775420.html
The head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is now openly criticizing Barack Obama for his recent comments over the question of marijuana legalization, according to multiple reports.
The Boston Herald reports it has sources who heard DEA chief Michele Leonhart "slam" Obama at last week's National Sheriffs' Association winter meeting in Washington. The Herald reports the sheriffs in Bristol County, Massachusetts, and Kern County, California, both reported that Leonhart was critical of the president's claim that marijuana's affects are no different than alcohol's. Here's an excerpt:
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said he was thrilled to hear the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration take her boss to task.
“She’s frustrated for the same reasons we are,” Hodgson said. “She said she felt the administration didn’t understand the science enough to make those statements. She was particularly frustrated with the fact that, according to her, the White House participated in a softball game with a pro-legalization group. ... But she said her lowest point in 33 years in the DEA was when she learned they’d flown a hemp flag over the Capitol on July 4. The sheriffs were all shocked. This is the first time in 28 years I’ve ever heard anyone in her position be this candid.”
Kern County sheriff Donny Youngblood told the Herald Leonhart received a "standing ovation" from the law enforcement agents at the convention.
The Huffington Post also reported on Leonhart's alleged remarks, and received a statement from a DEA spokesperson.
Report: Holder Tells DEA Chief to Get in Line
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/report-holder-tells-dea-chief-get-line_792883.html
The head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration was called in to speak with Attorney General Eric Holder and told to get in line with the Obama administration's policy on lessening sentencing for drug offenders, according to a report from the Huffington Post.
DEA chief Michele Leonhart has taken public stands in recent months against the administration's rhetoric on marijuana legalization as well as efforts by the White House and the Justice Department to ease punshiments for those covicted of federal drug crimes. HuffPo's Ryan Reilly and Ryan Grim report that Leonhart was "called in" by Holder for a "one [on] one chat about her recent insubordination." Leonhart seems to have gotten the message. Here more from their story:
Leonhart was responding to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who asked about the importance of mandatory minimums. Some law enforcement groups oppose the Smarter Sentencing Act, a bipartisan bill that would roll back the length of certain mandatory minimum prison terms. Leonhart emphasized the importance of mandatory minimums, leaving the impression she opposed changes to the current sentencing structure, which gives federal prosecutors huge leverage over defendants.
Justice Department concerns about Leonhart were heightened when, after her testimony, a DEA spokeswoman would not say whether Leonhart endorsed changes mandatory minimums, telling The Huffington Post that the DEA administrator's testimony would "have to speak for itself."
The concerns led to a conversation between Holder and Leonhart, according to a person familiar with the discussion. Leonhart told her boss there had been a misunderstanding.
The DEA sent The Huffington Post a follow-up statement a week after the first, expressing Leonhart's public support for reforms made by Holder that rolled back the deployment of harsh mandatory minimum sentences against certain drug offenders.